VOL 11 | No 1 | MAY 2011 www.corrymeela.org embracing difference • healing divisions • enabling reconciliation Where are we going? 4 8 9 Corrymeela will donate to Northern Volume 11 Ireland’s Carbon Footprint Tree No 2 Planting Scheme, to offset the November 2011 environmental impact of this magazine. corrymeela.org REFLECTION The hard yellow hats have hustled down the hill. The troubling rubble has trundled off. Heavy machinery halted. The din of drilling has been silenced. Building The dividing fence has Jericho-fallen. The pencil drawings have become brick steel plastic wood. Grass seed sown. The first group on a warmly welcomed and waved a cheery not cheesy goodbye. The first moment of silence has gathered us in thanks. The new cups counted. cliff The en-suites flushed. The flip-chart Paul Hutchinson flipped. The kitchen has been used and cleaned, scrubbed and dubbed fit to serve a welcome meal again again again, and one particular sunset warmed a cynical heart thankful. Now what? Now we continue to be…. a healing, loving interface: across the generations; across class, across the classroom; between the tribes - in tantrum, talks, touch and torch-song; between the faiths – in silence, strain, thanks and solace; between the dead and living -lamenting in black and sharing in gold; between the high-hedge and the painted kerb; between the suits and the track-suits; between the violent and the violent, (which is all of us); between the words in conversations concerning sex and God and war and shopping, doubt and daring, rage and bird-song, and in quietness gazing at Rathlin Island, The new Davey Village has been welcoming watching powerful underflows visitors from June 2011 and will officially pull an orange buoy open in Spring 2012. A big thank you to the into a wash International Fund for Ireland for its generous where the Irish Sea donation to the capital build becomes the vast Atlantic. 2 | CORRYMEELA CONTENTS Corrymeela magazine IN THIS ISSUE Volume 11 Number 2 November 2011 Corrymeela magazine CONTENTS Corrymeela House 8 Upper Crescent, Belfast Northern Ireland BT7 1NT Somewhere or nowhere 6 A reflection by Matt Scrimgeour. Matt is Corrymeela’s Programme Tel: +44 (0) 28 9050 8080 Coordinator and is based at the Ballycastle Centre Fax: +44 (0) 28 9050 8070 Email: [email protected] Web site: www.corrymeela.org Nothing like a dream 12 Corrymeela magazine is published by An insight from Paul Hutchinson. Paul is Centre Director of the the Corrymeela Community. Ballycastle Centre. The Corrymeela Community is a dispersed community of people Summertime and the living is easy 14 of all ages and Christian traditions Ivan Cross, Youth Programme Coordinator, offers a personal account who, individually and together, are committed to the healing of social, of his role during a summer residential that brought together teenagers religious and political divisions in from volatile interface areas in Belfast. Northern Ireland and throughout the world. Heroes of Peace: building relationships in the community 15 Corrymeela magazine is sent to all Nicola McKeown, Primary Schools Coordinator reveals her uplifting ‘Friends of Corrymeela’. To become experience as part of the schools week-long residential at Corrymeela’s a ‘Friend of Corrymeela’ and receive the magazine send your name and Ballycastle centre this summer. address to the Belfast office. Friends subscription is £26 (waged), £13 (unwaged), (€33 / €16, US $50 / $25) per annum. The magazine is published three times per year. EDITORIAL The articles in Corrymeela magazine do not necessarily reflect the views of the Corrymeela Community. WELCOME TO THE WINTER EDITION of Corrymeela; a substantially shorter The acceptance of advertising does magazine but hopefully no less enjoyable for you our reader. We have downsized this not imply editorial endorsement. time round in order to invest in redeveloping our website; the new and improved Corrymeela magazine is protected by copyright and nothing may be version is scheduled to launch early December and we are very excited. reproduced wholly or in part without It will capture the vision of Corrymeela, bring you up-to-date news on events prior permission. All extracts are reproduced with the permission of and programmes and offer a glimpse of the living, breathing community that is our the original publisher/author. members, friends and the invaluable volunteers - without whom much of our work would be impossible. Corrymeela Belfast 8 Upper Crescent, Belfast We hope the website will inspire everyone who logs on locally, nationally and Northern Ireland BT7 1NT internationally to find out more about our vision and work and get involved. Tel: +44 (0) 28 9050 8080 Fax: +44 (0) 28 9050 8070 The magazine will be available online in January while longer versions of articles Email: [email protected] will be free to download immediately. I wish you a peaceful Christmas and blessings Web site: www.corrymeela.org and courage for the new year. Corrymeela Ballycastle 5 Drumaroan Road, Ballycastle Alyson McElroy Northern Ireland BT54 6QU Tel: +44 (0) 28 2076 2626 Senior Communications Manager Fax: +44 (0) 28 2076 2770 Editor Email: [email protected] Corrymeela is a company limited by Guarantee. Registered in Northern Ireland No. NI6823. Corrymeela is recognised as a charity by the (UK) Inland Revenue. Inland Revenue Reference Number XN 48052A Design: TatchDesign. Tel: 9260 1832 Printing: GPS, Belfast CORRYMEELA | 3 COMMENT Connected In Communion In the Croi Who are Committed Coherent Centred in Christ Reconciled we now? Invited to live on the boundary At the cutting edge What is it? At the circumference Who are we now? Pushing back frontiers What do you see? Seeking clarity What to communicate A place of beauty and bread and breadth. How to communicate What not to communicate. And a space A safe space Share the story. A restful space, welcoming, hospitable; Ambiguous A space of restlessness and wrestling Paradoxical A space you keep returning to Yet rich and hopeful Inderjit Bhogal is the A space that honours real honesty Gifted with diversity. Leader of the Corrymeela Community Questioning Questioning faith Held Questioning church Finding wholeness, in each other, and Proclaiming new patterns of living and loving we In the all seeing see in Jesus; dialogue, engagement and encounter All knowing, healing, hurting, bleeding with all people. Unknown. Embracing difference and diversity Healing divisions and hurts What is it? Enabling reconciliation and relationships of mutual respect and trust; Where are we now? Openness and inclusiveness; Where are we going? Transformative, What do you see? Intense, What do you not see? In tension, What do you hear? Intentional Community in Ballycastle Listen with your whole body. Dispersed Community around the world Be alive, live to the full; Enjoy the fullness of life. 4 | CORRYMEELA NEWS CORRYMEELA FOOTBALL CLUB WAS FORMED IN 1988 by Peter Shaw and Corrymeela FC Brian Kingston, who had been involved in voluntary work with The Corrymeela Community. The club offered league champions a Belfast-based contact for young adults interested in the cross-community work of Corrymeela and proved a great way to promote the name and ethos of Corrymeela whilst having fun. Most recently the 2011-12 season opened with another trip to Germany to take part in the 90th Anniversary celebrations of TuS Gries. The Club draws players from all parts of greater Belfast and beyond but has its roots in east Belfast. Training takes place twice a week at Ashfi eld High School’s 3G facility and home matches are played at Blanchfl ower Playing Fields. Anyone interested in joining the Club can contact Gerald Morris on Corrymeela FC pictured after clinching the Premier Division with victory against Greenwell Star at Londonderry Park, Newtownards. 07794969310. The full article will be available on our new website Having competed in the top tier of the Down Area Winter Football launching on 12 Dec 2011 League for 10 seasons, Corrymeela Football Club fi nally made it www.corrymeela.org lucky in season 11, 2010-11 when they clinched the Premier Division Gerald Morris title. In the process, Geordie Carson’s team became the fi rst side to Gerald is a friend of Corrymeela take the trophy outside the Ards Peninsula. Legacies Gifts in WE REMEMBER Vera Jane ‘Yeah Baby’ Annett, Ivan and Dorothy memoriam Wheeler Charitable Trust, WE REMEMBER Christina Doris McClenaghan, Susan Faith Carter, Elizabeth Ekin, raises £300 for Montgomery, Margaret Nancy Larkin, Gertrude Ritchie, Kathleen Wigham Hough, David Stevens, and hope it brings comfort Elizabeth Sidwell, Helen to their families to know their Jacobsen, Joan Mary Corrymeela legacy gift will be put to good Goodchild, J Cowan and JM SHORT TERM VOLUNTEER contribution will in some way use. Hunter and their families. Tommy Boyle and his friends help to continue the great raised £300 towards the work and effort that all the volunteer team at Corrymeela amazing volunteers do, year in this year’s Belfast Marathon. in and year out. Without the Tommy said, “I re-joined volunteers, Corrymeela would Corrymeela’s STV team struggle to exist and I feel very in October 2010 and was proud to be a part of this. reminded what an amazing and special place Corrymeela Tommy Boyle really is. I just hope this Short Term Volunteer September 2011 Become our Friend: www.facebook.com/CorryCommunity CORRYMEELA | 5 NEWS Introducing... JENNY JOHNSTON was awarded a one year internship through the Rank Foundation’s Time to Shine youth programme and will be working with Corrymeela as part of the Communications Team until next summer. Somewhere or Nowhere You can contact her at [email protected] THERE WAS ONCE A MAN going Somewhere. He had been travelling there for some time, on She said, “I recently his journey he carried with him his most treasured possessions: openness; compassion; hospitality graduated with a and hope.